Franklin council candidates discuss school options

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2007 at 8:28 PM

FRANKLIN - With council candidates gathering last night for an education-focused campaign forum, proposals included constructing a new high school rather than renovating the old one and putting the choice for district improvements before voters.

Michael Morton/Daily News staff

With council candidates gathering last night for an education-focused campaign forum, proposals included constructing a new high school rather than renovating the old one and putting the choice for district improvements before voters.

"We need to step back and evaluate whether we need to build a new building," said Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, citing the extensive work a renovation would likely entail and the disruption to teaching it could cause.

Earlier, in response to a question about paying for overall improvements to the school system, Councilor Michael LeBlanc suggested putting a price tag on the effort, then letting residents vote on the initiative through a series of Proposition 21/2 tax override proposals.

"To me, that's the best way to address that issue," LeBlanc said.

Feeley and LeBlanc spoke during a forum at Horace Mann Middle School sponsored by the school parent communication councils and attended by a dozen people. Instead of a panel posing questions, audience members were invited to do so.

School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy asked candidates how they planned to deal with the high school, which many officials agree is well past its prime.

In response, Councilor Deborah Bartlett suggested selling vacant town-owned property and using the money for initial expenses, such as hiring an architect. Challenger Robert Vallee, a former councilor, agreed that land needs to be sold.

But Councilor Philip Evans warned that with the market down, the town would not earn as much as it could later.

"We should make sure we're getting absolutely the best deal," he said. "You can't take it back."

With construction costs rising and Franklin's place on the list for partial state funding in question, LeBlanc suggested the town might have to go ahead with the high school project on its own.

"Today's a known cost," he said. "Five years from now is an unknown cost."

Roy also wondered whether candidates wanted to strive for new education benchmarks such as smaller teacher-to-student ratios, a previously discussed idea known as a "good to great" improvement for the system.

"If so, what solutions do you have?" he asked, referring to funding.

Bartlett said the improvements could only be made piecemeal, while LeBlanc suggested limiting regular budget increases to 4 percent and putting other funding requests before voters.

But Councilor Philip Evans rejected the concept of "good to great" education funding.

"We've gone from good to just barely adequate in a lot of other services," he said, adding that if voters are asked for additional school funding in the future it should not be tied to other services like the library.

Turning to the town's revenue stream, resident Stephen Sherlock asked the candidates whether businesses should be taxed at a higher rate than homeowners, a change from the current single property tax rate.

Challenger Stephen Whalen said doing so could garner support for another override if current funding falls short.

"I think we can view it as a tool to achieve a softer landing," he said.

But fellow Finance Committee member Shannon Zollo said the real problem lay with a state system that allows different assessments of residential and commercial and industrial property. He warned against turning businesses and homeowners against each other and noted that informally linking the split rate with an override was only a one-year fix, with other tax increase proposals on the financial horizon.

Several incumbents also said they opposed the split rate, though for different reasons. Scott Mason said the town was already having a hard time attracting businesses, while Bartlett said enacting a split tax rate wouldn't necessarily lead to override approval, hurting the commercial and industrial sector without achieving anything.

Like Councilor Joseph McGann, Bartlett also said charitable donations from businesses would go down, and cited her involvement in raising $500,000 through various parent groups.

But newcomer Peter Bower said residents also donated money and deserved a break if another override is sought. He questioned whether businesses would stop their giving, since "They're tax-deductible and they're great PR," he said.

While they could not attend the forum, Councilor Thomas Doak submitted a statement pledging support for the school system, while fellow incumbent Judith Pond Pfeffer promised to "spend funds wisely on all facets of our community."

Recycling Committee Chairman Gene Grella, also absent, vowed to scour budgets. Newcomer Sergey Yurgenson, missing last night, is the 14th and final candidate.

Despite looming challenges, Feeley cited Franklin's inclusion on Family Circle magazine's list of the top 10 places to raise children.

"Yes, we have some issues ahead of us but it can't all be that bad," he said.

Michael Morton can be reached at mmorton@cnc.com or 508-634-7582.

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